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Regardless of the source of the tradition of making resolutions, we all realize that people all over the world have been breaking them. The title of this short piece is Making This New Year's Hospitality Resolutions Real and Practical, and my goal is to offer a slight alternative to the resolutions making approaches that seem to get broken so often, for whatever reasons.

"You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."

Zig Ziglar, "Secrets of Closing the Sale", 1984

Most hotels create an annual sales and marketing plan for last year, but what happened to the execution? While one can blame the economy or the government or some other 3^rd party, we must each assess how much of our success is tied to our efforts.

The calendar now is approaching late January, and looking back at lost opportunities for last year is a wasted effort. It is now time to think how you will be conducting your sales efforts this year, in measurable components.

Regardless of where you are in planning , think about TODAY to committing yourself to a fresh start. In our book LESSONS FROM THE FIELD - a COMMON SENSE APPROACH TO EFFECTIVE HOTEL SALES, Howard Feiertag and I offered practical approaches to selling in the last big market downturn.

Sell Price Last: Even in challenging economic times, price remains only one of selling points of all. People want value, but if you know where you are competition-wise, price should not be the breaking point if you are competitive.

2.      Include more items in packages. Comp rooms, free parking, free A/V and various other "freebies" are sometimes necessary ingredients in closing a deal, especially in a soft market. "Listen" to what the potential client feels is important to them and then deliver what they want at a fair to all price and package.

3.      Close As Soon As Possible: The prospect you leave behind may be closed by the competition. Time is important to everyone, so use yours effectively.

4.      Increase the Number of Your Sales Calls:   If you make more calls, you meet more prospects; if you meet more prospects, you can do more selling, and if you do more selling, you close more sales. (The law of averages works.)

5.      Have Sincere Pride in Your Product and Service: Be proud of where you work; then, where you work will be proud of you.

6.      Be Persistent: Most sales are closed after the fourth or fifth call.

7.      Be Loyal: One of the greatest virtues of selling is loyalty to your hotel, your manager and your owner.

8.      Ask For the Business: Too many salespeople are on Public Relations calls; they forget to ask for the order.

9.      Communicate More: Let the staff (especially the switchboard and front office) know where you are and where you're going to be.

10. Have Confidence in Yourself and Your Team: The seller's confidence in the product results in the potential buyer's confidence, more often than not, results in a sale.

11. Find Your Balance Between Aggressive and Assertive Selling: Sales isn't an athletic competition where someone wins and the other loses. Find a happy medium between high and low pressure sales techniques. In fact, a confident professional does not need pressure to close a sale, but rather assists the potential client in solving their needs. This goes back to #2 - LISTENING MORE.

12. Keep In Touch Regularly: Don't lose contact with a prospect. Phone calls, notes, newsletters, even birthday cards, are good ways to remind people that you're still interested in them.